Into the Lion’s Den

A Report by the Creation Science Educators’ Caucus Staff on the National Education Association Annual Convention

Along with many other caucuses, the NEA-Creation Science Educators' Caucus (CSEC) met for the sixth year in a row with support from hundreds of concerned citizens.

Thousands of public
school educators from every state in the USA descended upon the Los Angeles Convention Center (in California, USA) for
the National Education Association (NEA) annual convention
in July 2001. Along with many other caucuses, the NEA-Creation Science
Educators’ Caucus (CSEC) met for the sixth year in a row
with support from hundreds of concerned citizens (many of whom are educators).
Answers in Genesis (AiG) and the Institute for Creation
Research (ICR) support the CSEC by providing creation resources
to pass out to any educator willing to receive materials. This year, ICR
donated 1,500 Mount
St Helens: Explosive Evidence for Catastrophe videos and AiG
donated 2,500 copies of Answers
to the 4 Big Questions, along with several cases of Creation:
Facts of Life, The
Revised and Expanded Answers Book, Refuting
Evolution (of which we passed out 1,700 copies two years prior)
and The
Lie: Evolution, plus thousands of copies of the X-Nilo
Files and many other outstanding creation/science resources.

Amazingly, in the
first three hours of the convention, the caucus staff passed out 1,000
review copies of the Mount St Helens video–all they haad on
hand! The videos were eagerly received by individuals stopping by the
booth. One of the caucus staffers called ICR and asked for an emergency
shipment of 500 more Mount St Helens videos. Their general manager
transported the videos himself, meeting caucus representatives half way
between Los Angeles and their Santee, CA home base.

T-Rex
a “big hit” at NEA Convention.

Every year the CSEChas an interesting and eye-catching booth. This year, it was stylishly
decorated with a scale model of Noah’s Ark, and impressive sculptures
of a Velociraptor and Tyrannosaurus rex head. The dinosaur models
are always a hit, with many people wanting their pictures taken with the
models. In fact, last year the NEA newspaper had a photo of an AiG
dinosaur model featured on the front page (without acknowledging the CSEC,
though!).

Over the past three
years, the opposition to the CSEC has been strong and vituperative. Strangely,
this year there was no vehement vocal opposition. Although there was
opposition, no one wanted to engage in debate or discussion of ideas
or issues. Many merely walked by the booth, dogmatically asserting their
belief in evolution without engaging in discourse with any of the caucus
representatives. The caucus staff would never turn down the opportunity
to debate evolutionists and defend creation at the NEA Convention. Many
times those who are witnessing the debate learn far more than the skeptics
who are being debated. The key is to be ready to be used of God in the
defense and articulation of the faith and the Gospel of Grace!

The lack of opposition was
never-the-less beneficial, as the caucus had more time to talk to people with
honest questions. The CSEC representatives were able to encourage Christian
educators in the public schools to stand for and teach good science, interpreting
the data within the correct, Biblical framework of history, and expose evolutionism
and long-ages belief as false.

We appreciate those who
pray for the CSEC each year (next year, Deo volente, the NEA convention
will be held in Dallas, Texas) and wish to thank AiG and ICR for their
generous donations. Many of the books and booklets handed out at the convention
clearly explain the Gospel–the Mount St Helens video points people
to Christ, too! Wonderfully, the Gospel of grace through faith alone in Jesus
Christ was shared through the materials and also personally by caucus members.
Please continue to pray that God will use the materials handed out to impact
the USA with the truth of God’s Word!